Northwest History. National Topics. General. O-S. United States

HAMMERS SOON
MAY SWING ON
SLOT MACHINE
The shadow of the sledgehammer loomed over the slot machine today. One end of the shadow protruded from the hospital room of Sheriff Miles in the Deaconess hospital, the other from the office of Prosecuting Attorney
Charles Greenough. Strengthened in heart by the verdict of Judge Lindsley Wednesday when slot machine owners were denied an injunction against county action, Prosecutor Greenough conferred Thursday with Sheriff Miles at Deaconess hospital over best methods to smash the machine trust today. Any slot machine is a violation of the law, Greenough pointed out in a statement he issued from his office today. "The statute relative to possession of gambling devices makes it a gross misdemeanor for any person to have to his possession or permit to be placed or kept in any building or part thereof, owned, leased, or occupied by him, any table, slot machine, or any other article, device or apparatus of a kind commonly used for gambling, or operated for losing or winning any money or property, or representative of either, upon any chance or uncertain or contingent event," said Greenough. "Consequently, anyone having any slot machine in his possession or other device commonly used for gambling is violating the law, whether he is the owner of the device or not.
WILL FIGHT TO FINISH
"Deputies from the sheriff's office will immediately begin to check up on places of business having such devices in their possession. Warrants of arrest will thereafter be issued for those violating the law, and upon conviction and upon the order of the court, the machines or devices will be destroyed. No action will be taken that is not in pursuance of the statute. Self-serving signs on the machines such as 'for amusement only' do not divest in machines of this character as a gambling device and will not protect the possessor on a warrant of arrest. Nor will it protect the owner from the destruction of his device upon his conviction fro the possession thereof. "It is the purpose of the sheriff and prosecutor to eliminate the slot machine racket from the community and efforts will continue unabated until this result is accomplished."
ISSUED ULTIMATUM TO CITY POLICE
Greenough has been batting the slot machines for many days. Recently he issued an ultimatum to the city declaring that he would give Colburn's police department 10 days to clean out the machines. Colburn laughed at the challenge. The 10-day period ended last week. Frightened by the threat of an attack by county authorities, slot machine owners employed Attorney W. C. Donovan to fight for them. Donovan filed a plea in superior court asking that Greenough be enjoined from action against the slot machine on ground that the city has legalized them with a taxing ordinance. The machines were also declared "not to be gambling devices." Folks played coins in the machines merely to hear the merry tingle when their nickels disappeared. It was all in good fun, the slot machine attorney said. But Greenough doesn't see it that way. "Saying that slot machines are not gambling devices is pure nonsense," said Greenough. "No one would play them if they weren't a gamble. People wouldn't feed nickels and pennies into machines merely to get a ball of gum or pack of mints."

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HAMMERS SOON
MAY SWING ON
SLOT MACHINE
The shadow of the sledgehammer loomed over the slot machine today. One end of the shadow protruded from the hospital room of Sheriff Miles in the Deaconess hospital, the other from the office of Prosecuting Attorney
Charles Greenough. Strengthened in heart by the verdict of Judge Lindsley Wednesday when slot machine owners were denied an injunction against county action, Prosecutor Greenough conferred Thursday with Sheriff Miles at Deaconess hospital over best methods to smash the machine trust today. Any slot machine is a violation of the law, Greenough pointed out in a statement he issued from his office today. "The statute relative to possession of gambling devices makes it a gross misdemeanor for any person to have to his possession or permit to be placed or kept in any building or part thereof, owned, leased, or occupied by him, any table, slot machine, or any other article, device or apparatus of a kind commonly used for gambling, or operated for losing or winning any money or property, or representative of either, upon any chance or uncertain or contingent event," said Greenough. "Consequently, anyone having any slot machine in his possession or other device commonly used for gambling is violating the law, whether he is the owner of the device or not.
WILL FIGHT TO FINISH
"Deputies from the sheriff's office will immediately begin to check up on places of business having such devices in their possession. Warrants of arrest will thereafter be issued for those violating the law, and upon conviction and upon the order of the court, the machines or devices will be destroyed. No action will be taken that is not in pursuance of the statute. Self-serving signs on the machines such as 'for amusement only' do not divest in machines of this character as a gambling device and will not protect the possessor on a warrant of arrest. Nor will it protect the owner from the destruction of his device upon his conviction fro the possession thereof. "It is the purpose of the sheriff and prosecutor to eliminate the slot machine racket from the community and efforts will continue unabated until this result is accomplished."
ISSUED ULTIMATUM TO CITY POLICE
Greenough has been batting the slot machines for many days. Recently he issued an ultimatum to the city declaring that he would give Colburn's police department 10 days to clean out the machines. Colburn laughed at the challenge. The 10-day period ended last week. Frightened by the threat of an attack by county authorities, slot machine owners employed Attorney W. C. Donovan to fight for them. Donovan filed a plea in superior court asking that Greenough be enjoined from action against the slot machine on ground that the city has legalized them with a taxing ordinance. The machines were also declared "not to be gambling devices." Folks played coins in the machines merely to hear the merry tingle when their nickels disappeared. It was all in good fun, the slot machine attorney said. But Greenough doesn't see it that way. "Saying that slot machines are not gambling devices is pure nonsense," said Greenough. "No one would play them if they weren't a gamble. People wouldn't feed nickels and pennies into machines merely to get a ball of gum or pack of mints."